Bayelsa Launches Second Phase of Renewed Hope Employment Initiative

The Bayelsa State Ministry of Labour, Employment and Productivity, in partnership with the National Directorate of Employment (NDE), has officially commenced the second phase of the Renewed Hope Employment Initiative. This federal government flagship program aims to empower 21,782 unemployed Bayelsa youths with vital skills for self-reliance and job creation.

Hon. Odoko Saturday Omiloli, Bayelsa State Commissioner for Labour, detailed that the initiative offers a wide range of skill acquisition trainings including Vocational Skills Development schemes such as tailoring, catering, electrical installation, makeup, computer skills, soap making, and special training for persons with disabilities. The program also covers agricultural skills including sustainable and organic agriculture, livestock production, fish farming, and rural employment promotion.

Additional components include Special Public Work programs like graduate attachment and coaching schemes, artisan construction employment, environmental beautification, and solar energy training. Small Scale Enterprises training forms part of the initiative, with business counseling and income-generating programs specifically designed for women.

Eligible applicants must be Bayelsa State indigenes aged 16 to 40 years who have not benefited from similar programs before. Registrations are ongoing at the Bayelsa State Ministry of Labour’s secretariat annex, the NDE office in Yenagoa, and online through the official NDE registration portal at nderegistrationportal.ng. The registration deadline is Monday, August 11, 2025.

The NDE’s Director-General, Dr. Silas Agara, emphasized that this phase builds on the success of the first phase, which trained over 90,000 Nigerians nationwide including 650 youths in Bayelsa alone, equipping them with in-demand vocational, entrepreneurial, and agricultural skills. He highlighted that the program is designed to create sustainable employment through relevant, quality training aligned with labor market demands, plus support in business start-up via starter packs and resettlement loans.

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This initiative is part of the Federal Government’s broader vision under President Bola Tinubu’s administration to reduce youth unemployment and stimulate economic growth at the grassroots level across Nigeria.

Interested Bayelsa youths are encouraged to apply promptly to take advantage of this comprehensive opportunity to build skills, secure livelihoods, and contribute to the socio-economic development of the state and country.